What can interpretive research methods do for trans studies? Connecting subjectivity and materiality

Hayden J. Fulton and S. L. Crawley

Chapter 12 in Handbook of Interpretive Research Methods in the Social Sciences, 2025, pp 182-197 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Over the last several decades, transgender (or trans) studies has developed as a critical discipline centered on reimagining the relationship between sex, gender, and gendered inequalities. In this chapter, we argue that interpretive research methods are particularly well suited for theoretical and empirical research in trans studies because they connect the discursive power implicit in subjectivity to materiality. We begin by discussing the formation of transgender studies as a humanities-centric interdisciplinary field. We then detail some of the theoretical tensions caused by using empirical methods within trans studies, and how interpretive traditions may provide new directions in addressing this challenge. Finally, we turn to the work of Dorothy Smith as an example of the utility of interpretive theory and methods to trans studies.

Keywords: Trans studies; Transgender studies; Trans methods; Interpretive theory; Interpretive methods; Dorothy Smith (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781803926384
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